Stretches

FLEXIBILITY is key to our physical and mental wellbeing. It seems unnecessary, because I have met a number of people who don’t stretch. Fortunately or unfortunately, stretching is the only way to gain flexibility

A major benefit is that it reduces your risk of injury. How? Flexibility is about removing tightness in the muscles, increasing their range of movement and keeping them supple.
This tightness is what affects how quickly your physical body responds to your mental reflexes in times of danger.
Increasing muscle range of movement is also very necessary for restoring balance to the body after hours of movement or lack of movement.

Some people workout regularly and don’t stretch. This is very dangerous, because during the exercise process, your muscles (dependant on what muscle groups you are working) are constantly elongating and contracting. After exercise, the muscles will shrink, becoming shorter and tighter. The stretching process helps to reduce the shrinkage that happens.
Once your body is out of balance, you are again more open to injuries. In fact, injuries just show up everywhere, with back pain being one of the most common.
Stretching is also great for calming your head and keeping your refreshed long after you have finished the stretch.

Below are some poses that will help your balance while working on you.

Throughout your stretches, keep your breath even and regular and hold your stomach muscles in as much as you can.

The first two poses are to be done on one side before, repeating on the other side.

Stand with your feet about four feet apart. Turn your left foot slightly in towards your right and your right foot also turns right at a 90-degree angle.

Turn your hips to face your right foot and bring your hands up to shoulder level parallel to the floor. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, bend your right knee over your right foot as parallel to the floor as you can.

Keep your face and shoulders relaxed, but imagine your hands are being pulled away from you in opposite directions.

From the above pose, bring your left hand to the floor next to your right foot. Turn your left foot so your weight also moves to the ball of your foot.
Stretch your right hand up towards the ceiling (imagine your hand pulled by a rope from the ceiling). Turn your face also towards the ceiling.